Cryogenic Machining of Biomedical Implant Materials for Improved Functional Performance, Life and Sustainability

Cryogenic cooling is known to provide a very sustainable machining process because of its environmentally benign, and economically and societally-beneficial nature. This keynote paper will focus on recent findings on producing functionally-superior engineered surfaces for improved product quality, performance and sustainability in cryogenically-processed biomedical implants. Results from cryogenic processing of Ti alloys, Co-Cr-Mo alloy, and AZ31B Mg alloy for achieving enhanced surface and sub-surface integrity will be summarized. Experimental results are compared with numerical/analytical simulations. Encouraging findings from this extensive study shows the tremendous potential for challenging broader applications of cryogenic machining technology for biomedical components.